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JH Schroeder Eli White, SS, Oakland Athletics (High-A Stockton)
R/R SS. Skinny build with narrow hips. Slight crouch, high hands, slight drop during load, flat bat. Small leg kick. Got wrapped a bit, looks really slow to ball, late on a 3-1 FB, and late on a couple low FBs. Low finish. Decent spin recognition. Pretty good zone feel, rarely expanded. Surprisingly amount of hard contact. Defensively, pretty quick transfer, but looked a little unsure. Played on ball back into a hit, and threw one away. Showed some really nice hands on a bad hop where the ball stayed down. Run times, 3.96 (jailbreak), 4.1, and 4.3 (pulling up).
Boomer Biegalski, RHP, Oakland Athletics (High-A Stockton)
RHP. FB 87-91, limited arm-side tail, looked all 4S. Command was not precise, generally down, but not in/out. Generated good tilt down in zone. CH. 77-79. More fade than FB, good arm-action, flashed plus drop. Trusted R v. R, locked up several hitters. Left up on occasion. CT/SL, 80-83. Short-sharp, showed late, commanded glove-side, hung only a couple. CB, 77. Rolls, useful to steal strike. Delivery, 1B-side, over-the-top release. Lanky guy, all knees and elbows, quick delivery, short arm action, doesn't get extended out back, action looks tough on elbow/shoulder. Seemed to get more over top on CH, really trying to turn it over. FB probably would play a lot better up in the zone, but doesn't have repertoire of secondary pitches to go with it (good CH, bad CB).
John Eshleman Jimmy Yacabonis, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk)
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder has just re-joined Baltimore’s cadre of up-and-down bullpen arms (cf: Crichton, Nuno, Ynoa, Hart, Fry, etc.), getting the call over the weekend. His Triple-A statline out of the Norfolk pen is impressive, but he flopped in his three-appearance debut last month. I think Yacabonis has a decent chance to stick in Baltimore on the strength of his live fastball. It sat 93-95 w/ run across 2 1/3 IP, and was commanded well, getting him ahead in many counts. His slider (84- 86) was fringe-average—with good life but inconsistent command, that worked down in the zone. If he can avoid hangers, I like his chances.
Greg Goldstein Malquin Canelo, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading)
Smaller frame that has a bit of projection remaining; shows quickness and plus athleticism in his movements; wild hands, jerks them during load; slightly below-average bat speed; linear stroke; off balance, moves feet throughout swing; wild mechanics makes it tough to consistently barrel up pitches; frequently chops at pitches; doesn’t hit the ball hard the opposite way; whippy swing and looseness in his hands makes you think he has room to improve with the bat; potential for a 40 hit tool, lots of tightening needed in swing to get there; lacks raw power; can’t create enough bat speed to drive balls that are in the hittable zone; lacks leverage to have average gap power; slightly above-average arm strength that plays at SS; Quick twitch actions in the field; has the range to be an above-average shortstop defensively; has athleticism to make leaping plays on the ball and keep in hard hit grounders in the infield.
Blake Perkins, CF, Washington Nationals (Low-A Hagerstown)
Switch hitter; thin frame with a projectable body; should be able to add considerable strength as he matures; open stance from left side; slightly above-average bat speed; smooth swing with loose hands through the zone, can get off balance at follow through; potential to drive the balls to all fields; flashes ability make frequent hard contact; bat control needs improvement, but athletic stroke gives hope going forward; lacks approach; grounder-heavy; needs to make his swing more compact in order for his above-average bat speed to play; lacks raw power now; has the frame to add a lot of strength; potential for raw power to become above-average, more gap power at this point but will start to hit more balls over the fence as he gains more muscle; doesn’t turn his weight well in order to pull the ball; projected below-average game power; clocked at 4.10 home to first as a LHH; average arm strength that could improve a bit as he adds muscle throughout his body; surefire center fielder; glides in the outfield; athletic enough to make flash plays necessary at the position, makes routine plays with ease; skills and speed project him to be a plus defender; potential MLB regular; likely second-division starter.
Chaz Fiorino Jose Morban, RHP, Oakland Athletics (short-season Vermont)
Listed at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds, the 19-year-old right-hander looked a tad heavier than listed weight but still offers a projectable frame with room for added strength. There's some effort to the delivery but displays a quick arm and featured an average three-pitch mix across the board which stood out given his young age. The fastball was 88-92 and despite some effort in the delivery there could be more in the tank as he physically matures. He also showed advanced feel for a changeup and curveball eliciting swing-misses with both. Particurlalry the changeup which he showed confidence in to throw in a 3-0 count which is not something you typically see, nevermind in NYPL action.
Oscar Tovar, RHP, Oakland Athletics (short-season Vermont)
Listed at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, was another 19-year-old right-handed pitcher out of the Vermont bullpen that caught my attention. A mature lower half with projection in upper half for future added strength as he physically matures. Tovar pounded the zone with fastballs 94-97 that Lowell hitters just couldn't catch up to. Tovar also showed advanced feel for secondaries given his age, including a slider (84-85) & changeup (82-86 mph) already projecting as at least average grade pitches in the future.
Just 18 years old, Paredas is physically mature with wide shoulders and strong core, much bigger than the listed 175 pounds, body type will likely force a move to third base; swing starts with a slightly open stance, hands begin high and have a tendency to drift during the load, moderate leg kick, shows above average barrel control and hand-eye coordination, aggressive approach, gets good swings on balls he should not swing at, has improved pitch recognition from beginning of the year, stays more on balanced; power is projectable as fringe average and is primarily pull; the arm is strong and plays above average for the left side; In the field he has average range but shows soft hands and quick transfers; the solid glove and hitting profile should carry him into a major-league lineup.
Emmett Rosenbaum Carmen Benedetti, OF, Houston Astros (Low-A Quad Cities)
Large torso, broad shoulder, plenty of upper body strength; open stance, long stride, noticeable bat wrap, average bat speed, engages hips well, swing can get long; plus raw power, reaches it well in games, drove balls to all parts of the field; Decent approach, had trouble recognizing breaking balls, stepped in the bucked on occasion; Below-average runner; Looked passable in right, average arm, range could be an issue. Benedetti has a lot of power and shows something resembling a decent approach. However, the bat-to-ball ability is suspect and the defensive profile isn't ideal, making him more of a bench profile.
Notes from the Field: ... (06/27)
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Closer Report: Week 14